Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 36 (MALS-36) is an aviation logistics support unit of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. Nicknamed ''Bladerunner'', they are currently based at

Marine Corps Air Station Futenma is a United States Marine Corps base located in Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan, northeast of Naha, on the island of Okinawa. It is home to approximately 3,000 Marines of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and other units, and has been a U.S. military ai ...

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, Japan and fall under the command of

Marine Aircraft Group 36 Marine Aircraft Group 36 (MAG-36) is an active air group of the United States Marine Corps, tasked with providing assault support aircraft. It is currently part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW), itself an integral part of the III Marine ...

(MAG-36) and the

1st Marine Aircraft Wing The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa, Japan. A ...

(1st MAW).

Mission

Provide aviation logistics support guidance, and direction to Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) squadrons on behalf of the Commanding Officer; as well as logistics support for Navy-funded equipment in the supporting Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS), Marine Air Control Squadron (MACS), and Marine Aircraft Wing/Mobile Calibration Complex (MAW/MCC). 4 means of accomplishing this mission are: * Provide intermediate level maintenance for aircraft and aeronautical equipment of all supported units and, when authorized, perform first-degree repair on specific engines. * Provide aviation supply support for aircraft and Navy-funded equipment to all supported units. * Provide Class V(a) ammunition logistics support to the MAG's squadrons. This support encompasses the requisitioning, storage, handling, assembly, transportation, and inventory reporting of Class V(a) ammunition. Be capable of planning for, and operating, an airfield ammunition issue point at expeditionary airfields. * Interpret, implement, audit, inspect, and provide oversight for the MAG, CO, of all policies and procedures relating to the administration and management of operations and maintenance, Navy (less TAD) funds, aviation supply, and aircraft.

History

Early history

Squadron was established in June 1952 at

Marine Corps Air Station Tustin Marine Corps Air Station Tustin ( IATA: NTK, ICAO: KNTK, FAA LID: NTK) is a former United States Navy and United States Marine Corps air station, located in Tustin, California. History The Air Station was established in 1942 by the U ...

, California, as Headquarters Squadron 36, and assigned to

, Air Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. Redesignated 15 February 1954 as Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 36.

Vietnam War

Deployed during August 1965 to

Chu Lai Chu Lai is a seaport, urban and industrial area in Núi Thành District, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai International Airport. It is also the site of the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone (Vietnamese: ''Với Khu Kinh T� ...

Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of t ...

, and reassigned to the

. Participated in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

from September 1965 through November 1969, operating from Kỳ Hà and Phu Bai. They redeployed during November 1969 to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa.

Post Vietnam and the 1990s

The squadron was redesignated 1 October 1988 as Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 36. Since then they have participated in

Operation Fiery Vigil Operation Fiery Vigil was the Noncombatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) emergency evacuation of all non-essential military and U.S. Department of Defense civilian personnel and their dependents from Clark Air Base and U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay ...

, Philippines, June 1991;

Operation Restore Hope The Unified Task Force (UNITAF) was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational force which operated in Somalia from 5 December 1992 until 4 May 1993. A United States initiative (code-named Operation Restore Hope), U ...

, Somalia, December 1992 – May 1993 and Operation Stabilize, East Timor, September – November 1999 and January 2000.

Global War on Terror

In January 2007, a detachment of Marines from MALS-36 attached to HMM-262 and deployed to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Community involvement

The Marines and Sailors of MALS-36 participate in numerous community involvement activities every year. The activities range from cleaning nursing homes in the Okinawan community to picking up trash on the beautiful beaches of Okinawa. The majority of the participants are young Marines and Sailors, unselfishly dedicating their own free time to bettering the community and building a stronger relationship within the Japanese community. 2020 Marine Corps Aviation Association MALS of the Year

Awards

References

: ;Bibliography ;Web
MALS-36's official website
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